The New York Times reported on expanding opportunities and corse offerings at a small selection of High Schools in the area… making the case that schools that meet NCLB actually have the chance to provide more to students.
While I understand the point they are trying to make, I am not sure you can draw a trend by looking at just Pelham (Westchester), Roslyn (Long Island), Ridgewood, NJ, or Briarcliff Manor (also in Westchester) all of which are in the higher end of the economic spectrum.
If we really want to know if opportunties are expanding for our high school students we should really be looking at a more diverse sample of schools.
The story concept is excellent and worth examination. Unfortunately the Times falls way short in their execution.
PELHAM, N.Y. — The students in the jewelry and metalsmithing class at Pelham Memorial High School painstakingly coiled copper and brass wires into necklaces the other morning, while across the hall, the history of rock ’n’ roll class pondered the meaning of Don McLean’s “American Pie.”
These are two of the 17 electives added this year to the curriculum in this affluent Westchester County suburb, redefining traditional notions of a college-preparatory education and allowing students to pursue specialized interests that once were relegated to after-school clubs and weekend hobbies. Now, budding musicians take guitar lessons, amateur war historians re-enact military battles, and future engineers build solar-powered cars — all during school hours, and for credit.
